West Indies vs Sri Lanka: 5 talking points as West Indies defeat Sri Lanka by 226 runs

West Indies completed an emphatic win over Sri Lanka in the first Test match at Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago.

An inspired performance from the hosts ensured complete domination as they smashed the visitors by 226 runs minutes after the lunch break on the fifth day.

Kusal Mendis was the lone warrior for the visitors as they were always up against the odds chasing a mammoth 452 runs to win. However, there was no support from any other batsman which resulted in a meltdown once Mendis was dismissed.

For the hosts, Roston Chase and Devendra Bishoo starred with the ball as they picked up seven wickets to orchestrate a collapse.

Here in this slider, we will discuss the various talking points which made headlines after five days of proper Test cricket.

#5 Lahiru Kumara's impresses with pace

Jason Holder won the toss and elected to bat and the going was tough on a spicy pitch which offered assistance to the seam bowlers.

21-year old Lahiru Kumara was the pick of the bowlers in the first innings as he kept running in and hitting the pitch hard to extract substantial movement and zip off the surface.

He troubled the batsmen with his pace and hostility and kept posing questions. With four wickets in his kitty, he was head and shoulders above the rest of the attack and perhaps his relentless spell was the reason why the West Indies never found momentum in their first innings on the first day.

He then returned to pick up three more wickets in the second essay and ended with seven wickets in the match which summarises his brilliant work in the match.

However, he tends to go for runs and Sri Lanka would want him to work on this aspect before the next Test and he could be a real asset for the team going forward.

#4 Inspired spell from Roston Chase

The match was meandering along on the fifth day when Jason Holder tossed the ball to Roston Chase and the off-spinner made an immediate splash.

In the final over before lunch Chase accounted for Dinesh Chandimal and Niroshan Dickwella to punch the visitors in the belly.

He then picked up a couple more after the interval to hasten the Sri Lankan collapse and ended with four wickets in the second innings.

#3 Shannon Gabriel's effort in both innings

The local boy was the enforcer for Jason Holder in this Test match as he was one who troubled the batsmen with his relentless pace and bounce.

Although he picked up only four wickets, he deserves a mention primarily because of his impact on the match. He picked up the initial wicket with the new ball which then exposed the middle order to the new ball.

Also, he got rid of the well-settled Kusal Mendis with an absolute peach of a delivery on the final day to open the floodgates for his side.

#2 Kusal Mendis' superb century

The track was weary, the attack was potent, the target was 452 and Sri Lanka had been shot out for 185 in their first innings.

The task was always going to be tough, but young Kusal Mendis was never ruffled as he kept his head down and grafted out an innings of substance and notched up his century which was a fighting effort.

He started in an iffy manner after having nicked two balls but then settled down on a pitch which was never even and played one of his best innings.

However, his dismissal for 102 effectively ended the chase for the visitors as they were bundled out for 226.

#1 Shane Dowrich's match-winning century

After opting to bat first, West Indies were reduced for 147 for five and were in a spot of bother. However, they were bailed out by diminutive wicket-keeper Shane Dowrich who was always calm on the crease and churned out a century which was the differentiating factor in the end.

He remained unbeaten on 125 and forged substantial partnerships with Jason Holder, Devendra Bishoo, and Kemar Roach to guide West Indies to 414 in their first innings which knocked Sri Lanka out.